Career Digest Set to Unveil Skills Development Reform Agenda at UNILAG

...Calls for Stakeholders Support

Preparations are in full swing for the unveiling of the 21st Century Skills Roadmap (21st CSR), a pivotal two-day event set to take place at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) from Thursday, November 14th to Friday, November 15th. Organised by Career Digest (CD) Limited, a social business enterprise, in partnership with key stakeholders in the education sector, the event will address the long-standing skills gap between educational institutions and the workforce in Nigeria and parts of Africa. CD aims to present concrete solutions to this persistent challenge, which has hindered workforce development for decades.

The 21st CSR event will bring together key players from various sectors to tackle this issue head-on. The hybrid event will host 500 onsite attendees and over 3,000 virtual participants, offering a platform for keynote speeches, panel discussions, business networking, exhibitions, and official endorsements.

Participants will include representatives from academic institutions, employers, policymakers, development agencies, and human resource managers, along with NGOs, community leaders, parents, and learners. For the first time, stakeholders will engage in a comprehensive and sustainable approach to address the continent’s skills development challenges.

In a statement issued to BrandArena, the Chief Executive Officer of Career Digest, Mrs Joy Chinwokwu stated the event is targeted at capacity and nation-building at the dire time of our economic recovery. 

Chinwokwu, a World Bank award-winning business development consultant, noted that the initiative is guided by Emeritus Professor Olugbemiro Jegede, Chairman of CD’s Advisory Board and former Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). Professor Jegede expressed confidence that the roadmap would help Nigeria capitalize on its membership in the WorldSkills community, positioning the country for success in the global skills movement.

Advisory Board Vice-Chairman Tim Rose, CEO of Growbridge Advisors Ltd UK, and other high-level experts in strategy, policy, and curriculum development are also backing the initiative.

 

According to Mrs. Chinwokwu, “The Editorial team is expected to give some bite to the post-event implementation plans, designed to execute its clear transformation agenda of impacting the economies of individuals, families and nations. Vital to this initiative are the mentorship and informative programmes delivered online and onsite through the Career Digest website, www.careerdigest.com.ng  and other programmes designed in partnerships with schools at different tiers of education that range from kindergarten through to primary, secondary and tertiary institutions and with employers, targeting workplace rookies.”

The Career Digest initiative is designed to empower skilfull and morally upright students, youth, and women to help themselves, their families, industries, and the economy. Among the expected outcomes is an enabled mutual training environment for the classroom and workplace and a close-knit work interface among various sector stakeholders.  The initiative has been applauded by leading members of both the public and private sectors as “a timely and long-awaited social business tonic for career and curriculum reforms.” 

Career Digest (CD) Limited, is a recently established organisation primarily focused on advocating and implementing stakeholders’ interventions to attain 21st Century Skills and ultimately create quality jobs that will help stem the wide trend of unemployment and multi-dimensional poverty. The mission is to impact the economy of individuals, families, and communities through sustainable stakeholders’ partnerships that will facilitate the development and implementation of world-class digital skills, beginning with Nigeria and dovetailing to other African countries.